Moving Up in a Down Economy

After being housed in cramped quarters for many years in Southeast, the Putnam County Board of Elections will be moving to a new facility off Old Route 6 in Carmel.

The county closed on the former Verizon Building last Friday after members of the Putnam Legislature voted 7 to 2 to borrow $1.3 million for the purchase and renovation of the 6,000 square foot building, which is three times the size of its current quarters off Route 312 and I-84.

The purchase was made with some controversy. While Legislator Dini LoBue of Mahopac voted against because she felt the purchase was “not prudent during these difficult economic times,” Legislator Tony Fusco of Mahopac Falls received the ire of his colleagues for also casting a negative vote.

Legislature Chairman Vincent Tamagna blasted Fusco for distributing a blast e-mail to scores of residents prior to the meeting containing “half-truths and misinformation. We can all agree to disagree, but disagreement should be openly debated.”

Tamagna further charged that Fusco actually cost the county an additional $25,000 for the building’s purchase since, “in order to avoid paying property taxes on the building I attempted to convene a vote on the purchase Feb. 24, which would have allowed the closing to take place prior to March 1 when the tax rolls were finalized. We can all agree to disagree, but disagreement should be openly debated.”

Tamagna further charged that Fusco actually cost the county an additional $25,000 for the building’s purchase since, “in order to avoid paying property taxes on the building I attempted to convene a vote on the purchase Feb. 24, which would have allowed the closing to take place prior to March 1 when the tax rolls were finalized. We are now responsible for this year’s school, county, and town taxes on the property, all because Mr. Fusco refused to attend that meeting.”

Fusco responded that he wasn’t delaying anything: “The legislature and county executive are rushing this through. Other options exist.”

Tamagna said the search for the “right place” had been ongoing for six years: “This is the proper location. The train is at the station. All Mr. Fusco wants is to create a crisis. He must stop micro-managing and start acting like a legislator.”

Legislator Tony Hay of Southeast charged that Fusco’s claim concerning the availability of another building at more reasonable cost to local taxpayers was totally in error. Fusco said a building located on Route 312 near North Brewster Road would have cost taxpayers much less. However, under questioning the Mahopac lawmaker agreed that the building was not currently available since it was occupied by a bakery.

Fusco mentioned the building contained 17,000 square feet of space. Hay researched the tax map on the building and discovered the 17,000 square feet was actually the footage of the pavingasphalt footprint of the parking lot and not the building.

Hay called it appalling that “our resident real estate expert legislator misled us about the actual square footage of this property or neglected to do his due diligence to provide the legislature with accurate information.”

Fusco stood by his guns, telling the Courier: “Our county has purchased a building at $54 per square foot that needs substantial renovation. I even researched building a new structure that would have cost $250,000. If we had constructed this on county property we would be so much further ahead, tax-wise.”